What Matters Most
by 16StarBoy
Summary: After what happens in a small town during the Great War, Hazel and Frank will have to piece their lives back together. AU One-Shot


**Hey guys. So I was just sitting here when I started writing this. I've kinda had it on my mind for a while, but the inspiration came to me just now. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer:****I don't own Percy Jackson. All rights go to Rick Riordan.**

Jason sifts through the rubble. His legs ache and his heavy backpack weighs on his shoulders more and more with each passing minute. The battle hadn't ended long ago, but the village had been destroyed and almost everyone had been either evacuated or killed. He pushes aside a large rock in the lot of what had once been a home. He finds remnants of the lives of the people that had once lived here. Jason leans down slowly and picks up a picture that had been blown loose of its frame. There's a wife and her husband, both smiling with joy. They have their arms around each other and they just look so happy. Jason doesn't remember what that feels like. Ever since he joined the army it's been one hard day after another. And that was even before the war started. He slips the picture into a pocket of his pack, and lets out a sigh. He sits down on pile of rubble and lets his shoulders sag. He runs his hands across his face, wiping up dirt and soot that still hangs in the air from the battle. He reaches into his pack and takes out his canteen, taking a swig. It's just about empty and he figures he should be returning to camp soon. He tosses the empty canteen into the rubble and picks himself up with a grunt. He takes one last look around what had once been the small community before beginning his journey to camp.

Hazel peeks her head around a tree. She fights back tears as she comes to terms with what she is seeing. The sun is just rising above the trees and she squints into it, her eyes blurred with tears. But she knows what she is seeing. Her home had been bombed by an air-raid just the day before, leaving all her possessions destroyed and her loved ones scattered who-knows where. All except Frank. He places a hand on her shoulder and looks on with a stony expression. They had come back to see if anything or anyone could be salvaged. From the looks of it, there was nothing but ruin. Frank takes the first step towards the rubble. He turns back and whispers to Hazel that she should stay put. It's probably not entirely safe here, even a day later. Hazel nods slowly, and Frank assures her he will only be gone a minute. He makes his way towards their old property, stepping over rocks and ruins and avoiding shattered glass. As he walks he unlatches the necklace that hung around his neck, hidden by his shirt. He glances at it, remembering when his father gave it to him. He had always resented the necklace, just like he resented his father for leaving his mother. He grips it tightly before tossing it aside into the ruins. When he makes it to their lot, it is obvious there is nothing to be salvaged. Frank makes his way to the middle, and suddenly he has trouble holding back tears of his own. Their life together was just beginning. He married Hazel not more than a few months ago. This was their first house. He sits on a pile of rubble and puts his head in his hands. After a few moments, he takes a deep breath and stands up. He is ready to head back over to Hazel when something catches his eye. It's a round water jug, a canteen, which soldiers carry with them. It has a name on it. Frank wipes away a layer of dust with his thumb and he can just make out _Sergeant J. Grace_. This must belong to a soldier at camp, the camp they had been evacuated to. He picks it up and takes it with him. He needs to remember that name, for it belongs to one of the men that had helped defend their little village. He meets up with Hazel, taking his time to embrace her, before they trudge off towards camp.

Percy leads a group through the forest. They are searching to the site of a battle that took place during the Great War many years ago. Restoration was taking place all over the country, but it was yet to reach small communities like this one. Many of its residents had disappeared, and a scarce few had been evacuated to one of the emergency military camps set up not far away. After hours of walking, the trees suddenly parted. A few of them gasp. Percy has seen this all before since he is one of the heads of the restoration process of destroyed communities. It is his job to determine whether or not an area is worth restoring. He sees the ruins and the same melancholy wave of sorrow washes over him. He has seen this countless times, and he always gets that same feeling. They make their way into the center of the township and begin sifting through the rubble, attempting to find any remnants of people's lives. Clues as to who lived here and what their lives were like. Percy makes his way over to a lot that seems in no way different than any others. He kicks a few rocks around, pushes some rubble away, but finds nothing of use. He sits back on a pile of rubble and takes a sip from his water bottle. The sun is hitting about the top of the sky when something glinting in the rubble catches Percy's attention. He stands up and walks a few feet over to the source of the shimmering. He leans over and picks up a necklace. He presses the lock and it opens revealing two pictures. One of a man, large and brawny. The other of a women, fair and smiling sweetly. He closes the locket and turns it around in his fingers. He wipes at it with his thumb and realizes there's a name on it, _Zhang._ Is that the last name of a family that lived here? Nevertheless, it's a clue. Percy slips it into his pocket and makes his way over to the others who are congregating on the outskirts of the once-town.

Hazel smiles and entwines her fingers with Frank's. It's been a long time and she was very nervous to return, but hearing what the restoration had done she felt they should. The restoration didn't change it back to a town. Instead, they turned the whole area and everything within a large area into a public park. With the nearby city booming, this land is livelier than Hazel had ever seen it. A large playground sprang up and hoards of kids were all over it, laughing and playing. There was a pond with kids and adults alike swimming and canoeing. There were pathways winding all around the clearing and even throughout the woods for miles. Hazel sat down with Frank by her side on a nearby bench. They watched the children playing on the playground, and Hazel couldn't help but feel very content with her life. The new park seems to make the entire area seem more beautiful than it had ever been when they lived here. The trees are greener, the sky is bluer, and the sun shine give everything a happy gleam. She leans into Frank and he puts his arm around her. She thinks of their new life in the city. They live in an apartment now, not big but not small either. It's nice and cozy and fits their lifestyle perfectly. She reaches for the locket around her neck and pops it open. Frank looks down and smiles as Hazel sighs warmly. In the locket is a picture of them, wife and husband. They are both smiling happily with their arms around each other and the both look so content. Hazel is so grateful that they were able to carry on and have that happy life they once lived, and will continue to live as long as they are together. That's what matters most.

**Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a review, like, follow.**

**See ya,**

**16starboy**


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